Meerut: Blast in Zakir Nagar, 5 killed

Meerut, Nov 8: At least five people were killed when a mortar shell exploded in a waste dump in Ahmednagar area in Uttar Pradesh town of Meerut.

Sources say the blast took place in a scrap-dealer's shop in Meerut"s crowded Fatehpur locality. At least 10 people are reported to have been injured in the blast that took place at 4 pm. "This was a scrap blast. The junk dealers had taken the scrap from Meerut Cantonment and while taking out the brass from a live shell, it exploded," SSP Meerut Raghuvir Lal said. Denying it was a terror attack, the SSP said it was an unexploded army mortar shell at a waste dump that exploded when the labourers were rummaging through the waste.

Police have been rushed to the spot. DIG (Meerut) P K Ramamurthy told PTI he feared the toll may go up.